Pear-shaped ornament design with Mercury and grotesque motifs on a black ground
Engraving, part of a series of 7 pear-shaped ornament designs with grotesque motifs executed on black grounds, created by Étienne Delaune in Strasbourg in 1573. The pear shapes and size of the prints are similar to those of the fashionable jewelry of the time, suggesting that this set was very likely intended as a model for silver and goldsmiths. The design represents Mercury, standing on a globe, holding two olive branches in one hand and holding, with the other, a trumpet, which he plays. To his left is a shepherd and to the right a shepherdess, both sitting in profile, looking towards him. Under Mercury are two female figures whose lower bodies consist of scrolling motifs ending in grotesque dolphin deads, each holding a cornucopia with flames. Between Mercury and the shepherds are a dog and a flying dove. Above Mercury, standing on a sort of canopy that surrounds him, are twi vases with scrolls of smoke, two lobsters, and another vase, flanked above by a winged female bust.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pear-shaped ornament design with Mercury and grotesque motifs on a black ground
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Date: 1573
- Medium: Engraving: first state
- Dimensions: Sheet: 2 9/16 × 2 3/16 in. (6.5 × 5.5 cm)
Plate: 2 3/8 × 1 7/8 in. (6 × 4.8 cm) - Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1922
- Object Number: 22.105.17
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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